Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Old bike parts used to make a big difference

A few weeks ago a lady named Jane came into the shop wanted to borrow some old bike parts for a project. She wanted to use them to make molds for clay. I couldn't help but take an interest in why, so I got the back story...

Evidently there is a shop in Roanoke, VA called Keirin Culture. (The shop website is pretty neat: keirinculture.com) This shop has a cycling team named Kazane Racing Team. Kazane has partnered with the Nianjema Secondary School in Tanzania to provide road bicycles for the school’s new cycling program. Team members will collect used bikes, parts, and accessories from other cyclists in the region at various races and events. The team’s goal is to send over 15-20 complete bikes along with spare parts, clothes, and helmets late this summer.

The team is also in charge of shipping the bikes to Tanzania, at an estimated cost of $1,200. Profits from the Kazane Racing Working Man’s Classic, a three-night race series to be held in Richmond this June, will be earmarked for the shipping charges.

In addition to the bike project, the team is holding a bike-related art auction in late March to raise money for Nianjema. The event is called Velo Sanaa (Velo is French for bike; Sanaa is Swahili for art).

Jane happens to know a member of the Kazane Racing Team, she is also a local artist. Her bicycle parts clay creation was to donate to Velo Sanaa. I asked her if she'd bring it in when it was finished, and she did! Here is Jane and her work of art:

Our old bike parts are going to affect somones life half way around the world. Something to think about it.